REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons for the World Health Organization, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the media relations officer with the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria.

Update on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that as at 16 August, there had been 78 cases, of which 51 were confirmed and 27 were probable; 44 people had died. More cases were expected, and it was unclear whether all the transmission chains had been identified. Two treatment centres were now open: there were 30 patients at the centre in Mangina, run by Médecins sans frontières, and 7 at the centre in Beni, which was operated by another non-governmental organization. Five clusters of contacts had been defined around recently confirmed cases, leading to the registration of over 1,500 contacts and the vaccination of nearly 500.

In response to questions from journalists, Mr. Jašareviæ said that he would have a better idea of the situation on the ground when he travelled there the following week. In the interim, he could report that WHO staff had not had to use armed escorts thus far as the road between Beni and Mangina was short and relatively safe. However, there were areas adjacent to Mangina that were listed as level 4 on the United Nations Department of Safety and Security scale. The priority being the safety of all responders, those so-called red zones were off-limits and meant that a full epidemiological picture was unavailable. A cluster of contacts had been identified in one such red zone, so a local nurse had travelled to Mangina to be trained in contact-tracing, and communication with her was being maintained by telephone. In addition, public awareness messages were being transmitted via radio. A large share of the work being carried out was to piece together the chain of transmission, for which additional epidemiologists and other staff were being deployed, as had been done during the previous outbreak. The Ministry of Health had been on the ground from the outset and was coordinating all the partners.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, referred to the statement that the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, issued on 16 August, raising concern at the 14 August decision by the Republika Srpska National Assembly to revoke its endorsement of the 2004 Srebrenica Commission Report.

Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), gave the following statement:

“UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein condemns the decision of the Republika Srpska National Assembly in Bosnia and Herzegovina to revoke its endorsement of the 2004 Srebrenica Commission Report. The High Commissioner warns that the revocation will only serve to feed into the divisive, nationalistic rhetoric ahead of the general elections in October, and will disrupt any attempts to work towards reconciliation among communities.

The 2004 Srebrenica Commission Report established that from 10 to 19 July 1995, between 7,000 and 8,000 Bosniaks went missing in the area of Srebrenica. It also found that more than 1,000 Bosniaks were killed during this period. Two international courts have determined that this massacre of Bosnian Muslims constituted genocide.

The then-President of the Republika Srpska endorsed the report when it was published in 2004, but this endorsement was revoked on Tuesday this week.

The High Commissioner fears that tensions, divisions and mistrust already perpetuated by some public and political officials and media organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina could be aggravated by this decision – which appears to be designed for political gain. He calls on the Republika Srpska to revisit the decision, and on political leaders across the spectrum to work towards building bridges among communities rather than stoking conflict.”

Cambodia elections

Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), gave the following statement:

“We are concerned about the human rights environment around the elections that were recently held in Cambodia without the dissolved main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). This left a significant proportion of the population without chosen representation, causing concern for their rights to political participation. People were reportedly intimidated or paid to vote, and civil society organizations faced harassment in the run up to the election. Seventeen popular websites were blocked around election day. There were further restrictions placed on the freedom of expression of individual voters and political opponents who called for a boycott or announced their intention to abstain from voting in the election, including through threats, fines and legal action. We urge the Government to refrain from taking legal action in such cases. Under human rights law, the right to freedom of expression protects calls for a boycott in a non-compulsory election.

Now that the official results of the national elections have been announced on Wednesday, we call on the Government to create an environment for open and inclusive political debate that allows all voices in Cambodia to be heard.

We urge the Government to release political opponents, journalists, human rights defenders and ordinary citizens who have been detained for exercising their human rights, in particular their right to freedom of expression. We also call on the Government to lift the ban against opponents taking part in political activity, and protect and expand space for civil society. Respect for human rights and a vibrant civil society that has the space to debate even complex and controversial issues are essential ingredients if the conflict of the past is to be avoided, and if development is to be peaceful and sustainable.”

Replying to questions from journalists, Ms. Shamdasani said that OHCHR had raised its concerns with the Government on multiple occasions. The Office worked closely with the Government, for instance in connection with training for the judiciary and law enforcement personnel, and prison staff. Accordingly, it would continue to engage with the Government and hoped that its call to refrain from taking legal action against persons exercising their freedom of expression would be heeded.

Libya attacks

Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), gave the following statement:

“We call on the Libyan Government of National Accord, the GNA, to take all necessary measures to protect Tawerghan internally displaced persons from further displacement, torture and other human rights violations following last week’s forced eviction of some 1,900 people from an IDP camp in Tripoli.

The Tariq Al Matar camp, which hosted some 370 families who had fled fighting in the eastern town of Tawergha in 2011, was raided three times last week by an armed group which is allied to the GNA.

Camp residents were ordered to leave and homes were demolished, with IDPs scrambling to grab a few possessions or even fleeing with nothing. We understand that during these raids at least 87 IDPs were detained by the armed group and taken to unknown locations. The majority were subsequently released – with some reportedly giving accounts of being tortured and ill-treated. Reports indicated that 19 people are still held by the armed group.

We echo the concerns voiced by the UN refugee Agency, UNHCR, about the safety of thousands of Tawerghan IDPs sheltering in other camps in Tripoli, including in areas under the control of the armed group.

We remind the GNA that Libya is obliged to prevent displacement, protect and assist displaced persons, and identify durable solutions. We call on the authorities to provide shelter and protection to the evicted IDPs. The armed group should immediately release those who are detained. We call on all detaining authorities to fully ensure the rights of all detainees to their physical and psychological integrity, and to due process. Last week’s forced evictions and related allegations of human rights violations must be the object of an independent, impartial, prompt and thorough investigation and the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

The Tawerghan community have already endured unimaginable suffering during their seven years of displacement. This latest attack on them demonstrates the urgent need for the GNA to ensure their safe, dignified and voluntary return to their homes and the rehabilitation of their town of origin without further delay.”

Situation in Ghazni, Afghanistan

Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that the Afghan military had reportedly cleared the centre of Ghazni and that fighting had moved to the outskirts of the city, with Taliban fighters slowly withdrawing towards surrounding villages. Civilian deaths during the past week of violence were estimated at between 200 and 250, according to the latest, unverified figures from the Afghan Red Crescent Society. Parts of the water system were functioning again and the mobile phone networks were gradually coming back online, though electricity was still mostly unavailable. At that time, there was no safe way for civilians or humanitarian workers to enter the city owing to the roads being strewn with improvised explosive devices and mines. OCHA had the capacity to map the location of the devices but not to remove them, which was the responsibility of the Government. The reports OCHA had been able to receive came from local staff who had remained in the city. The price of basic commodities had soared with the destruction and looting of shops and markets, and there was likely to be considerable need for psychosocial support. UNICEF was dispatching chlorine for the water system, and the World Food Programme had food available for dispatch from Kabul. In the light of upcoming World Humanitarian Day, Mr. Laerke recalled that Afghanistan had for many years been among the top five most dangerous countries for aid workers.

In response to questions from journalists, Mr. Laerke said that OCHA was concerned about the city’s inhabitants, who numbered in the few hundred thousands. Government forces were on the ground, but he had no indication of how long it would take before the situation was stable enough for humanitarian workers to enter.

Yemen peace talks

Pressed by journalists, Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen had issued invitations to the Geneva Consultations to the Government of Yemen and to Ansarullah. As announced, there would be a curtain-raiser by the Special Envoy on 5 September but no media activities in the Palais des Nations on 6 September, which was a holiday. Journalists with permanent accreditation with UNOG could use their ordinary badges to access related media events at the Palais des Nations. Further logistical information, in particular the duration and nature of the consultations, would be forthcoming, and the Special Envoy would brief the press at the curtain-raiser.

Syria peace talks

In response to a query, Reem Ismail, for the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, said that the next consultations on Syria were tentatively scheduled for mid-September, though no dates had been fixed.

Announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, recalled the following upcoming commemorations: World Humanitarian Day (A/RES/63/139) on 19 August; International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism (A/RES/72/165) on 21 August; and International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition, on 23 August.

Ms. Vellucci said that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination would be concluding the review of the report of Japan that morning. It was the last report to be reviewed at the current session and the last public meeting before the closure.

Ms. Vellucci also said that, as Tuesday, 21 August, was an official United Nations holiday, the next public plenary meeting of the Conference on Disarmament would be held on Thursday, 23 August, at 10 a.m., and would be the first plenary under the presidency of Turkey.

Press Conferences

Wednesday, 22 August at 11:00 a.m. in Press Room 1
UNICEF
Release of “Futures in the Balance: Building hope for a generation of Rohingya children” – a UNICEF Child Alert on the situation facing some 380,000 Rohingya children, one year since they fled extreme violence in Myanmar into southern Bangladesh.
The speaker is Simon Ingram, UNICEF Senior Communication Advisor and lead author of the Alert